Causes, Symptoms And Treatments: What Are Genital Warts?

Women, men and children are all susceptible to the disease, and each will respond differently to the virus in terms of potential areas of infection. Children who have not yet reached puberty seem to be the least susceptible to infection that ranges past the immediate genital area. Cause of infection is not necessarily restricted to sexual contact, but children treated for genital warts will frequently require evaluation to determine the method of contraction (due to the potential cause of sexual abuse). Men who contract human papillomavirus may experience infection of the penis, scrotum, perineum and anus, as well as the urethra. Women may experience more serious infection that can extend to the internal reproductives, including the cervix and urethra, as well as the vaginal tract and vulva. HPV can cause reproductive abnormalities in women that can produce an abnormal result on a Pap test, additionally, and this type of HPV infection may not have externally visible warts or other symptoms.

HPV infection does not always, and in fact does not usually result in genital warts. Symptoms that accompany the warts usually result from the irritation associated with these growths, namely itching and bleeding. Warts may not appear until several months after infection, and may not even appear for many years, in rare cases. Genital warts are not easily self-diagnosed, as their symptoms resemble those of other STDs and conditions.

Visual diagnosis is usually possible by a professional after a physical examination and risk assessment. The risk of exposure is a key factor in determining the likelihood of infection, as is the tendency toward condom use. High risk behavior, such as the non-use of condoms or other methods of STD prevention, or the engagement of sexual activity with many partners may incline an individual toward the likelihood for infection.

Genital warts usually disappear without any treatment. Treatment options are usually limited to wart removal, which may cause scarring at the site of the removed wart, and wart removal is not proven to limit the risk of contagion (though some professionals believe it may). The role of the visible warts in sexual contagion of the HPV virus is not entirely understood. The HPV virus is regarded as incurable. Topical treatments may be used to reduce irritation from genital warts.

Safe sex is the best method of prevention, especially in combination with monogamy. The risk of infection by a sexually transmitted disease is increased dramatically by the practice of having multiple sexual partners, and not all infected individuals will show symptoms of genital warts or other STDs, or may not show symptoms yet. A candid, cautious approach to sexual encounter is the best protection against STDs in sexually active individuals.